


See My Side

by xxcaribbean



Series: too good is true universe [2]
Category: One Direction (Band), Real Person Fiction
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, ziam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-19
Updated: 2012-09-19
Packaged: 2017-11-14 14:25:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/516162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxcaribbean/pseuds/xxcaribbean
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>...<i>words can never hurt you</i> is one of the biggest lies told to man.</p>
            </blockquote>





	See My Side

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place after the events in _too good is true_.
> 
> Also read it on [tumblr](http://thesimpleartofwriting.tumblr.com/post/31804399038/title-see-my-side-pairing-liam-zayn-ziam).

_He’s just using him for money._

When Liam walks into the kitchen he finds Zayn at the sink furiously scrubbing at the few dishes that weren’t able to fit in the dishwasher when he’d been loading it up earlier.

It’s clear to see that Zayn’s frustrated. His back muscles are taut and from what Liam can see his face is set in stone, clearly thinking about things he probably shouldn’t be because they’re only making him angrier with every move he makes.

Liam’s not sure if he should confront him just yet. Zayn tends to get restless when he’s upset and while normally he never really focuses on cleaning anything, fearing he’d become too OCD about things like that, this is probably the only thing he could get his hands on in order to distract himself from what’s bothering him this time around.

It’s just the two of them because Ryan’s at school, Liam reminds himself, so it’s the perfect time, if any, to actually talk to Zayn and work out what’s got him so upset.

Liam had been in the living room when it started, busy writing new lyrics so he could send off to both Louis and Harry to tweak. There had been a few cabinets slammed and cursing right after which had interrupted his thoughts, and Liam had sat on the couch for a good five minutes before working up the courage to actually go find out was wrong. There’s a possibility that the cause of Zayn’s distress is him, and it’s why he’d been hesitant to even move from his position in the first place.

So now he’s leaning up against the doorframe of the kitchen, not wanting to walk all the way in because Zayn may very well tell him to leave him be. That, in all honesty, was fine by Liam, so long as they’d be able to talk it out later, because Liam doesn’t like leaving things unsaid. He likes working things out and making sure the day ends on a good note.

“Is this one of those moments where I should let you blow off some steam or are you willing to tell me what’s wrong?” Liam asks.

Zayn stops his movements before dropping the plate back into the water. There’s a distinct sound that's made, especially when it hits the bottom of the sink that makes Liam want to cringe at how loud it is in this silence they’re experiencing now.

The other man doesn’t move from his position at first. Instead, he dries off his hands before setting the towel down, and only then does Zayn turn around so that he’s facing Liam. He leans up against the counter and crosses his arms over his chest.

“I don’t know.”

Liam only nods once, understanding the fact that Zayn needs to gather the courage to actually say what's on his mind. He doesn’t know what to do with that answer though, and he’s not sure what question should come next.

The silence takes over again. It’s apparent that Liam’s going to have to work for the reason as to why he’s boyfriend is upset, and for a moment he thinks that it has something to do with him. He’s really not sure, and he just wants to work this out.

“Are you mad at me?”

The question is out before Liam can reel it back in, and he winces because he’s not sure if he wants that answer now.

Zayn, on the other hand, shakes his head and sighs. He slumps his shoulders and pushes himself off the counter so that he can walk towards Liam.

“I’m an idiot, is all.”

There’s a brief feeling of relief that courses through Liam because he’s not in trouble. But, just as he feels it, he pushes it back because Zayn’s still upset and he still needs to fight for a reason as to why.

Zayn ends up coming to a stop in front of Liam, standing before him. He doesn’t move any closer until Liam decides to close the distance, reaching out an arm and pulling the other man against him, enough so that they can still see one another, but close enough that he can wrap his arms around the other man and feel him by his side.

“What makes you think that?” Liam asks. He wants to chide Zayn because he’s not an idiot and there’s no reason for him to think otherwise.

“I-” Zayn starts, but then quickly snaps his mouth shut. He bites the inside of his cheek and tilts his head to the side because he doesn’t know what to say. He could tell Liam the truth, and he will at one point, but he’s not sure he’s ready to talk about it.

All he really knows is that he shouldn’t have read those awful things that some so-called fans had written about him.

Zayn’s never been into searching online, especially now that he’s been with Liam. There’s a constant state of worry that he’ll come across something he shouldn’t read because it will do him more harm than good, but this time around when he’d been searching for research links for Ryan’s school project, his curiosity got the better of him, and he’d been left reading things that shouldn’t ever be muttered from another human’s mouth or typed in this case.

_The guy has a kid and a shitty job; of course he seduced Liam into thinking they have a relationship._

Zayn’s only thankful he hadn’t read any more than what he had because he’s sure that he’d be a lot more upset about this if he’d done so. He realizes his image and his life is fair game to the media and to everyone in the world, and while it shouldn’t be that way, it is.

He’s also grateful no one had mentioned anything about his child. It’s the one thing he refuses to look at or be a part of because he knows what kind of anger will stir within him if he reads anything negative about his kid. Both he and Liam had decided early on to try their best to keep Ryan away from the public’s attention as much as possible, not wanting him to become a target in the media by way of association. Zayn can most definitely handle negative words and being treated like the lower class, but he draws a line when it comes to family.

_Definitely not worth the time or anyone’s time. He should fuck off and leave the band alone._

Most of the news comes from overseas. The first indication that he’d ever been written about in an article had come from Liam when he’d had to go back to Europe. He’d reassured Zayn over the phone that it wasn’t anything to worry about because eventually the gossip would die down and everything would be fine, but right now, Zayn’s not fine because it seems like people tend to hold grudges for too long, and he’s currently the subject of hate.

Even if rumors died down, new ones grew even faster and there was always something out there about his relationship with Liam, and he tried his best to ignore it all, but this time it’s gotten to him and he doesn’t know what to do with the hurt in his heart or the unshed tears.

“Do you believe what they say?”

He’s sure Liam’s read most of the comments that people have to say about him. Zayn’s even had to console his boyfriend on the few occasions when words have gotten the better of him too. But most of the time people take kindly to the things they like and there’s a lot of praise that follows the negative.

People like Liam. They don’t like Zayn.

And he wants to know Liam’s thoughts on this. He wants to know exactly what he thinks because even if they’ve discussed this a million times over, Zayn needs to hear it again and again because right now he feels like an innocent bystander, verbally beat down because of who he’s with, and he needs to hear Liam repeat what he’s told him about the names and words that people are throwing his way.

Liam blinks, looking confused. “What who says?”

Zayn breathes in a deep to calm the worry and lifts a hand up to pick at a button on Liam’s shirt to help further distract himself.

“I was online and-”

“Zayn,” Liam says, his voice growing concerned. “I thought we talked about this?”

Zayn nods his head, because yes, they have, and he’d told Liam straight up that he wouldn’t let things get to him and that he’d be able to handle it, but he’d also said that on the off chance that something upset him, he’d talk to Liam about it and that’s what he’s trying to do now.

He just wants these horrible words out of his head.

_Liam could do so much better than him._

“Yeah, we did, and I swear it was an accident but I saw my name and then I just clicked it just to see-”

“Hey, it’s okay.” Liam squeezes Zayn’s waist, reminding him that he’s right there next him; he’s holding on to him for good and that there’s no reason to get panicked thinking Liam’s going to get mad at him for this. “You want to talk about it?”

Zayn takes a moment to answer that question because honestly, Zayn’s not really sure. Yes, he does want to and it’d be better for them, better for  _him_  if they discussed it, but then he doesn’t want Liam casting his feelings aside with an  _I told you so_  sort of attitude. And too, it wasn’t like either of them could change what was written. Those words will forever be online and embedded into Zayn’s brain until he can hopefully go a day without remembering.

Zayn feels Liam’s thumb rubbing at his waist. It’s comforting and Zayn knows that Liam’s there for him whenever he’s upset about anything, especially the words that people decide to spit with fire and envy. It helps him to regain his composure to say what’s on his mind without any qualms.

“They think I’m not good enough for you, and that I’m using you for your money,” Zayn says as quickly as possible so that his thoughts are out in the open to be discussed and dissected, just like they need to be in order for him to feel better about all of this.

“And what do you believe, Zayn?”

They’re not true. Zayn knows it without a shadow of a doubt, and he knows that Liam knows it too because Zayn’s refused to accept handouts despite the fact that Liam’s tried to convince him that he can always pay him back whenever he could.

But Zayn always and will continue to refuse because something like that isn’t going to happen, ever. He still has his job and a kid to take care of and just because someone else is now sharing that with him, doesn’t mean he can put his life on hold and hope that everything will be taken care of for him. It’s not how life works, and he’s never had that support before, and he doesn’t want it now.

If he’s being truthful, the only time he can say that he’s accepted anything from Liam, aside from their relationship, is the few times that Liam’s gone out of his way to buy things for Ryan. Zayn, at first, had objected because he didn’t want Ryan spoiled and believing that it was okay for people to buy him things. Though soon enough he’d learned that Ryan was always polite and accepted Liam’s gifts with a  _thank you_ , and it eased his mind that Liam was only being kind in return and genuinely wanted to see Ryan happy.

“Better question is... is whether you believe it or not.”

He closes his eyes because that shouldn’t have ever come out of his mouth.

It’s normal, he figures, to be paranoid about a relationship that is going so well. They’d already seen horrible arguments and maybe this has to do with the fact that Zayn still has lingering feelings of being inadequate, but how is it wrong to continue to think like that when he’s so normal and Liam isn’t? There are expectations weighing him down whether he likes it or not, and it’s eating him up.

Liam goes rigid in his arms, and Zayn wouldn’t be surprised if Liam’s voice rose a notch or too. Liam’s not one to yell too often, but if something like that had come out of the other man’s mouth, Zayn’s pretty sure he’d slap him upside the head for being so stupid.

“And people think a certain way and it even  _looks_  a certain way.”

Liam pulls back from Zayn completely so that he can look him directly in the eye. His eyes are stern and filled with determination and a fire he only sees whenever Liam’s anger is building.

“And what they say are  _lies_.” Liam’s voice is dripping with hardness and sincerity. “Zayn, I know you. You’re hard working, and you’re going to be applying for management soon. Don’t take away the credit you deserve because strangers think you’re playing me.”

There’s a lull in the conversation then, where they’re just staring at one another, silently speaking to one another through their eyes, and it’s only when Liam speaks again does the air around them change considerably.

“Besides,” he starts, his voice unwound and void of roughness, “if anyone’s using me, I’d like to think it’d be in  _other_  ways than money.”

Zayn’s eyes widen quickly, and his mouth slightly parts. The edges of his lips pull up until he’s full out grinning, which soon turns into laughter because Liam just tried to lighten the mood with an awful sex joke.

“Oh my god,” Zayn says, trying his best to keep his composure, but he knows that won’t happen. His eyes are brighter than they were before, and he can already begin to feel his mood taking a turn for the better. “Thank you.”

Liam only grins back in return before pulling Zayn closer to him so he can lean down and kiss him good.

And possibly see if Zayn’s willing to take him up on his otherwise silent offer.


End file.
